Vandalia Ale

November 1, 2010Martinsburg, WV

Reviewers: Charles Finkel

Mountaineer Brewing Co.
Martinsburg, WV

Available: WV, MD, VA, TN

In the seventeenth century, a 14th American colony was proposed, to run roughly from Pittsburgh through West Virginia and into Kentucky. One name under consideration was Vandalia, in honor of Queen Charlotte’s supposed descent from the Germanic Vandal tribe. The area was named West Virginia instead, but this beer is a tribute to the region.

ABV: 5.51ABW: 4.41Color: 26-27Bitterness: 32Original gravity: 1051.2

Gorgeous copper color, with the reddish hues of a summer sunset. Handsome, thick off-white head hangs on, leaving a lacy pattern on the glass. Spicy nose hints of fields and flowers, followed by a light, clean mouthfeel with faint aftertaste. Not a big beer for full-flavored foods, we enjoyed a couple of bottles with friends, accompanied by the first apples of the season, sharp aged Beecher's Flagship cheddar, and whole wheat breadsticks baked in the wood fired oven.- Charles Finkel